CO BA Heading to NJ

I'm still seeing Troegs Flying Mouflan (barleywine) and Weyerbacher Blasphemy (barrel aged quad) on the shelves.

 

BCBS is around, and not too difficult to locate. Also suggest you hit up the Copper Mine Pub and Three Wise Monks.

 

You should be able to find Oskar Blues, Great Divide, Boulder, and Avery. I don't know if you can find them in CO

But seriously I know they aren't big on Sours, BB Beers, and Barleywines but check out Kane and Carton breweries.

 

Bottle shops to visit near Clifton: Wine and Beverage Depot in Totowa, Stew Leonard's in Clifton, Gary's Wine and Marketplace in Wayne. To eat: the only really beer-centric places aren't necessarily close but Cloverleaf Tavern in Caldwell would be the closest impressive place if you're willing to dive 20 minutes or so.. A little closer to Clifton would be Eagan and Sons in Montclair which is a brewpub but only really serves the stuff they make.

 

My local shop may still have some vintage Brooklyn Monster Ale ,Cricket Hill's Barleywine and Fegley's Insidious. I work close to Clifton so if I come across them I can pick them up for you if you want.

 

We Don't get Heady, Evil Twin and I have not seen Cantillon. As for food in the area there's Harold's Deli in Lyndhurst (I think it may have been on Man vs. Food). http://haroldsnydelilyndhurst.com/

 

The only places I've gone for pizza are in Hoboken (about 25 mins. from Clifton). My personal favorites are Benny's (http://bennytudinos.com/) and Gio's (http://www.yelp.com/biz/giovannis-pizzeria-and-restaurant-hoboken). Let me warn you now that traffic in the area can get pretty bad because of construction and commuter traffic into/from NYC.

 

Classic Bar Pies at the Star Tavern, in Orange:
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/01/star-tavern-best-bar-pizza-orange-nj.html?ref=search

More classic Jersey food- dogs in this case- at Rutt's Hut in Clifton:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/hot-dog-of-the-week-rutts-hut.html?ref=search
Enjoy!

ETA: this is really about the food- you won't find much in the way of beer. The Birch Beer at Rutt's is nice, though.

 

Some of the best, classic, NJ/NY Italian food is at the Belmont Tavern in Belleville. 15-20 Min from Clifton or Orange. A one of a kind place.. The CLoverleaf in Caldwell, 15-20 min from Clifton, great tap program & bottle list, good burgers, flat iron steaks. Gary's Wine in Wayne has a great beer selection. If in Orange, head west on 280 for a few minutes to The Wine Library for a solid craft beer selection.
Cheers.

 

a lot of really great recommendations in this thread. a couple new recommendations...

pizza...

ralph's - nutley - amazing and unique - if you get a pie, ask for a "slice pie" - awesome
apizz - montclair - neapolitan style

here's what I'll second/third...

beer...

copper mine - north arlington - great craft beer shop - usually have kane head high on tap, which is an excellent ipa
cloverleaf tavern - caldwell - restaurant with great beer list

a few of the good bottle shops are listed too.

 

Cloverleaf Tavern shouldn't be too far, it's my favorite spot to go for beers. As far as bottle shops, Stew Leonard's and Shopper's Vineyard are fairly close to each other and good places to stop.

Stepping away from beer, I wholeheartedly second the mention of the Star Tavern, the pizza is unreal. Ah Pizz is also really good, and located a couple blocks away from my local bottle shop, Amanti Vino. Holsten's in Bloomfield makes some of the best ice cream in the area, and it's where they filmed the final scene in the last episode of The Sopranos.

 

I found some Fantome and Cantillion in Flemington

 

Recently? Where at?

 

Highly recommend Cloverleaf Tavern. But if you're in Clifton, take the NJ Transit train to NYC. It's only a 30 minute train ride and you'll open yourself to a whole ton of awesome places. http://www.njtransit.com from Clifton to New York Penn Station.

 

I think its called brothers liquors. I hit it up every time i visit my sister/ brother in laws in washington. I found a 2010 Lou Pepe Kriek last time i was there as well as some blue sunday sour from new holland and some peppered italian IPAs

 

Train to NYC also available from Orange.

If staying in Orange, check out The Gaslight in South Orange. Brewpub that also has very good guest list on tap. Food very good to boot... Lots of local cab companies in these areas available with a phone call - always best to play it safe and have that extra pint!

I also second the visit to the Wine Library on the border of Springfield and Millburn/Short Hills for bottle shopping.

Enjoy the visit.